CNN stringer stopped from filming at Supreme Court

A stringer for CNN Bob Coen was stopped from filming near the Supreme Court but was not given any reason until later when he was told that the area was now restricted.

He tried to reason with the police that he had filmed from the same spot the previous week but was told to move away.

An unidentified man in civilian clothing emerged from Parliament building and physically pushed Coen and warned him that he would smash his camera unless he left immediately.

Within seconds war veterans leader Chenjerai Hunzvi also emerged from Parliament building and Coen left the scene.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE944, MEDIA UPDATE: CNN CREW PREVENTED FROM FILMING NEAR

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO9551

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FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8374

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LONDON

AMEMBASSY PARIS

UNCLAS HARARE 000944

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF, AF/S, AF/PD

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02       HARARE 00944 080918Z

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO KDEM PINR ZI

SUBJECT: MEDIA UPDATE: CNN CREW PREVENTED FROM FILMING NEAR

SUPREME COURT IN HARARE

¶1. POLICE OFFICERS, ARMY PERSONEL, AND AN UNIDENTIFIED

CIVILIAN PREVENTED AMCIT BOB COEN, THE CNN STRINGER IN

ZIMBABWE, FROM FILMING NEAR THE SUPREME COURT ON MARCH

¶7. COEN, WHO HAS LIVED IN ZIMBABWE AND WORKED OFF AND

ON FOR CNN FOR NEARLY 10 YEARS, WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAPE

A STAND-UP PIECE IN FRONT OF THE SUPREME COURT

BUILDING.

¶2. ALTHOUGH COEN AND HIS CREW FILMED IN PRECISELY THE SAME

LOCATION SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE WEEK OF FEB 26, TODAY

THE RULES CHANGED. FIRST A POLICE OFFICER TOLD COEN HE

HAD TO LEAVE. WHEN COEN PROTESTED, AN ARMY OFFICER

TOLD HIM HE HAD TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE COURT AND TOWARD

THE PARLIAMENT. COEN ENGAGED BOTH IN A CONVERSATION,

TRYING TO PERSUADE THEM THAT HE HAD FILMED IN THE SAME

LOCATION AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK. THEN, AN

UNIDENTIFIED MAN IN CIVILIAN CLOTHING EMERGED FROM THE

PARLIAMENT BUILING, PHYSICALLY PUSHED COEN AND WARNED

HIM THAT HE WOULD SMASH COEN’S CAMERA UNLESS HE LEFT

IMMEDIATELY. WITHIN SECONDS OF THIS ENCOUNTER, MEMBER

OF PARLIAMENT AND LEADER OF THE ZIMBABWE LIBERATION WAR

VETERANS ASSOCIATION CHENJERAI “HITLER” HUNZVI EMERGED

FROM THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING. COEN DECIDED TO DEPART

THE SCENE.

¶3. COEN CALLED THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION TO PROTEST THIS

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00944 080918Z

TREATMENT (HE IS A LEGAL RESIDENT OF ZIMBABWE AND HAS

THE THUS-FAR APPROPRIATE MEDIA CREDENTIALS), BUT WAS

TOLD THAT THE AREA AROUND THE PARLIAMENT AND THE

SUPREME COURT IS NOW “RESTRICTED.” COEN WAS UNABLE TO

GET A CLEAR DEFINITION OF WHAT THAT MEANS, WHEN THE

AREA BECAME “RESTRICTED,” OR HOW A JOURNALIST GAINS

PERMISSION TO WORK WITHIN THE AREA. (NB: WITH THE

EXCEPTION OF A CLOSED PARKING LOT IMMEDIATELY WEST OF

THE PARLIAMENT AND THE SUPREME COURT, THE REST OF THE

AREA IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. MAJOR THOROUGHFARES PASS

DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF BOTH BUILDINGS AND “AFRICA UNITY

SQUARE,” A PLEASANT AND POPULAR PUBLIC AREA, IS

DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PARLIAMENT. IT

WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO “RESTRICT” THIS AREA WITHOUT

MAJOR DISRUPTION OF PUBLIC LIFE IN DOWNTOWN HARARE.)

¶4. COEN WAS NOT AT ALL HARMED, NOR WAS HIS EQUIPMENT

DAMAGED DURING THE ENCOUNTER. HE TOLD EMBOFF THAT HE

WAS SIMPLY SADDENED BY THE EXPERIENCE AND ANGRY ABOUT

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ZIMBABWE.

IRVING

UNCLASSIFIED

>

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